The Powerhouse Ingredient That Gives Tuna Salad A Hint Of Spice

We aren't about to say that it's hard, or even fully categorized as cooking, but whipping up a tuna salad is often a little more complicated than we bargained for. Rather than something as simple as slapping together a ham and cheese (the premier sandwich for a potato chip topping), you've got to drain the tuna, season, and mix it up with mayo, and that's all aside from the celery, pickle, or bell pepper chopping that really makes a tuna salad sing. So, for this much required assembly, you want it to be good. That's where a dab of horseradish trots in.

Horseradish proper is a whole root vegetable. Above ground, it can produce pretty little white flowers. Below, it juts out like a zombie's fingers just about to reach out and get you. But that horseradish root sure is a lot tastier than that. We assume. Grated and pureed, it becomes prepared horseradish, a pasty, pale condiment that can easily blend in with mayonnaise, while packing a lot more punch. Alternatively, you can quickly grate up the root at home — if you can handle the powerful fumes that make onion cutting tears feel like butterfly kisses. Or you can pick up a jar that's pretty close to homemade like Woeber's. Horseradish also often comes in a creamier compound like this pick from Inglehoffer. Just know that the latter kind is typically milder, for better or worse.

If you're new to horseradish, the creamy condiment variety might be the best place for you to start. Give it a little taste to test your tolerance. If you think this type of horseradish packs a punch, it's twice as intense with the straight stuff. A little goes a long way in either case, and even avowed heat-seekers should be careful not to overdo it. Consider any of your other favorite condiments. As much as you love barbecue sauce, ranch, or sriracha, you probably aren't going to make a whole sandwich out of them, and the same goes with horseradish. It should enhance, rather than cloak.

For horseradish cream, you can reasonably employ a one-to-one ratio. So, if you typically use four tablespoons per can of tuna, swap two with the cream. In its more unadulterated form, start with just one part of the pungent grated root. Add each of your ingredients to a bowl and combine immediately to avoid over-mixing. You want to be able to recognize the tuna salad as tuna salad, rather than pulverize it to something closer to a dip. And see our pick for the best store-bought canned tuna to give yourself every salad sandwich advantage.